Collingwood’s midfield ranked the best in the AFL for 2017, Demons the worst
IT is one thing all great premiership teams have in common. An elite midfield. So where does your club’s midfield rank? Champion Data has the answer.
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COLLINGWOOD coach Nathan Buckley will be armed with the game’s top-ranked midfield in his make-or-break 2017 season, according to Champion Data.
The AFL’s official-number crunchers have delivered a glowing endorsement of the Magpies’ prime movers using a complex formula to asses each midfielder’s output over the past two years, in comparison to their peers.
Led by superstar ballwinners Scott Pendlebury and Adam Treloar, the Pies have six top-end midfielders who are classified as elite or above average, bolstering claims Collingwood has the centre square setup to break its three-year finals drought next season.
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Buckley has already set the scene for a boom-or-bust 2017 campaign, saying late last season that he is ‘on the hook’ unless the Magpies make September next year.
Richmond’s midfield brigade also received a big tick, with the moves to pickup Josh Caddy, from Geelong, and Gold Coast hard nut Dion Prestia in the trade period lifting the Tigers’ 2017 midfield rating up to fourth.
Caddy, who averaged 1.2 goals per game last season, and Shane Edwards are both rated as elite as midfield-forwards.
After a dismal 2016 at Punt Rd, the favourable ratings suggest Richmond has the midfield arsenal to help outmuscle rivals next season, in what also promises to be a critical year for coach Damien Hardwick, after a clean-out of his assistant coaching staff.
But the controversial analysis is less kind on Melbourne.
Despite the big raps on the Demons’ young talent, Champion Data has ranked Melbourne’s midfield-forward outfit last.
It means the AFL’s top and bottom-ranked midfield units will clash when the Magpies and Demons meet in the traditional Queen’s Birthday blockbuster on June 12.
Melbourne has beaten Collingwood in its last three meetings.
According to the rankings which will be released as part of the 2017 Prospectus, Melbourne has six midfielders in the average range, including young star Jack Viney, captain Nathan Jones and ex-Hawthorn recruit Jordan Lewis.
But none are deemed above average or elite, based on their statistical output in the past two campaigns.
Viney is Melbourne’s top-ranked midfielder at No.52 in Champion Data’s rankings, below Pendlebury (6) Treloar (13), Steele Sidebottom (28), Daniel Wells (38), Taylor Adams (41) and Jack Crisp (51).
The analysis factors in the effectiveness, impact and position of players’ possessions in the 2015-16 seasons.
It includes midfielders and midfield forwards, ranked separately.
Premiership favourite Greater Western Sydney is second in the midfield charts, with five players ranked above average for their position.
Elite status is saved for the top 10 per cent of each positional type.
Giants’ stars Dylan Shiel and Callan Ward sit right in the cusp of this group.
Reigning premier Western Bulldogs are third.
The Dogs have three midfielders ranked elite, the most of any club.
They are Marcus Bontempelli, Luke Dahlhaus and Mitch Wallis.
The Dogs’ overall rating is lowered by the ratings given to youngsters Lukas Webb, Bailey Dale and Mitch Honeychurch, who are all factored into the midfield brigade, after playing more than the required 10 games.
In another surprise, St Kilda’s emerging midfield group is ranked seventh, higher than Geelong (eighth), West Coast (ninth), Adelaide (11th) and Hawthorn (12th).
St Kilda’s favourable assessment is based on its breadth of established talent, with eight of their nine classified midfielders considered either above average or average, including top-ranked ballwinners Jack Steven, David Armitage and new recruit Koby Stevens.
Geelong’s rating highlights concerns surrounding its midfield depth.
Superstar duo Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood are considered elite, but its six other rated midfielders are considered average or below average.
North Melbourne is ranked second-last. Onballer Ben Cunnington is the only Roo to receive an above average rating and none are elite.
MIDFIELD MIGHT
CHAMPION DATA ranks the midfields for the 2017 season.
1 Collingwood
2 GWS Giants
3 Western Bulldogs
4 Richmond
5 Sydney
6 Port Adelaide
7 St Kilda
8 Geelong
9 West Coast
10 Fremantle
11 Adelaide
12 Hawthorn
13 Essendon
14 Gold Coast
15 Brisbane Lions
16 Carlton
17 North Melbourne
18 Melbourne
Originally published as Collingwood’s midfield ranked the best in the AFL for 2017, Demons the worst
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